Branching processes comprise a class of stochastic processes that model how a collection of discrete individuals changes over time, typically by reproducing, dying, or transforming type.
These processes were first studied in relation to the extinction of family names among the aristocracy by Francis Galton and the Reverend Henry Watson [1]}.
Branching processes have since become prevalent across a wide array of scientific disciplines, from phylogenetics [2]} to cancer biology [3]} and nuclear physics [4]}. In systems biology contexts related to our interest here, branching processes have been extensively applied to model clonal expansion in response to tumor suppressor gene inactivation [5]}, [6]} and the evolutionary dynamics of leukemia in response to combination therapy
[7]}, [8]}. Stochastic models can be used to study events such as extinction of a leukemic clone or mutation leading to malignant transformation.
